SAN ANTONIO — Cody Brannon tossed 5.2 innings while southpaw Jeremy Filipek worked the final 1.1 innings, as UTSA held off Incarnate Word by a score of 6-5 on Wednesday night at Roadrunner Field.
Incarnate Word slowly made up ground on the Roadrunners, but Filipek’s 1.1 inning of scoreless baseball earned the senior his second save of the year.
Welcoming the Cardinals for the second time this season, UIW jumped on the board early in the first on a solo home run, but the Roadrunners answered back with a score in the following frame.
In the bottom third, UTSA (14-11) tacked on three runs to lead, 4-1.
Kevin Markham led off the frame with a single up the middle and moved to second on Jesse Baker’s base hit. Markham then came around to score on Tyler Straub’s RBI single. Two batters later, Baker crossed home on John Bormann’s fielder’s choice and Straub scored the final run of the inning on a two-out single.
Incarnate Word (9-13) added a run in the top fifth and made it a two-run game in the seventh with a two-spot after the Roadrunners committed a pair of defensive miscues.
The Cardinals continued the scoring barrage in the eighth with one more run, but that was the final time the visiting team scored.
Brannon was the pitcher of record as he struck out five batters and allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits.
Cardinals starter Kris Looper was charged with the loss as he worked three innings. Looper allowed four runs on eight hits and struck out two.
Baker went a perfect 5-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and one run scored.
UTSA will return to Conference USA action on Friday when it welcomes No. 25 Florida Atlantic (20-5, 4-2 C-USA) to the Bird Bath. First-pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.